IT services provider Citrix has acquired Framehawk, a solution designed to optimize the delivery of virtual desktops and applications to mobile devices.

Citrix says Framehawk will be combined with HDX technology in its XenApp and XenDesktop products to deliver a user experience that isn't impacted by adverse network conditions.

The increase of mobile users adopting tablets and smartphones, Citrix noted, is making it more of a challenge to ensure a rich virtual application and desktop user experience on Wi-Fi and cellular networks where quality may be intermittent or poor due to congestion, high packet loss and high latency. The Citrix HDX technologies in XenApp and XenDesktop combine to deliver what the company says is a high-definition experience to users of any application, on any device and over any network.

"With enterprises increasingly enabling mobility for their employees, the ability to deliver apps and desktops with the best user experience to any of the billions of devices on the market is of paramount importance," said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, SVP and general manager for Citrix's enterprise and service provider division. "As a company, we are focused on delivering the best user experience on any device, over any network. The addition of Framehawk’s technology to the HDX portfolio enables Citrix to continue to lead the industry in delivering a powerful virtual desktop and application experience."

Forrester Research's David Johnson calls it a good acquisition, noting that some of Framehawk's technology will be a nice addition to Citrix's enterprise portfolio.

"Specifically, Framehawk's frame-buffering protocol – called Lightweight Framebuffer Protocol, or LFP – is designed for mobile carrier networks like 4G/LTE where there is often highly variable latency, loss, and jitter. Citrix will add it to their arsenal alongside HDX to improve the end-user experience of server-hosted Windows applications on mobile devices for XenDesktop App Edition and XenDesktop."

Johnson adds that the acquisition will be a boon for desktop-as-a-service providers' customer experience.

Framehawk's leadership and engineering teams will be integrated into Citrix's enterprise and service provider division.